Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

If you feel like you're constantly working in your business instead of on it, this episode is your roadmap to freedom and scale. We're joined by Joel Perso, a 5-time Inc. 5000 COO who has guided companies through triple-digit growth and eight-figure acquisitions. Joel breaks down the critical difference between a good company and a great one, revealing why a lack of focus is the silent killer of execution. This isn't just theory; it's a masterclass in operational excellence from someone who has been in the trenches. You'll learn how to transition from a founder who does everything to a visionary CEO who leads, why fractional leadership is a game-changer, and how thinking about your exit strategy from day one will make your business stronger and more profitable today.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to achieve laser focus by understanding why having more than three priorities means you have none.The next level of delegation that frees up your time: moving from delegating tasks to delegating the management of those tasks.The blueprint for creating a "great" company by establishing clarity in your vision, strategy, and execution.Why fractional leadership is the key to accessing C-suite expertise without the six-figure price tag, especially in the age of AI and VAs.How planning for a future exit forces you to build healthier systems, a stronger team, and a business that isn’t dependent on you.The critical mindset shift from being the doer of all things to becoming the strategic, big-picture thinker your business needs to grow.How to reverse engineer any goal—from taking the leap into entrepreneurship to hitting your next revenue milestone—into actionable daily steps.📝 About Joel Perso Joel Perso is the founder of Growth Centric, a fractional executive company dedicated to helping business owners execute their vision. With a track record that speaks for itself, Joel is a five-time Inc. 5000 COO who has led businesses to triple-digit annual growth and successful eight-figure acquisitions, including a media company sold to Zillow. His unique perspective comes from serving in high-level operational roles, where he learned firsthand what separates thriving companies from struggling ones. Today, he channels that expertise into helping entrepreneurs build businesses that are not only profitable but are also great places to work.🎯 Joel’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Get really clear on the goal and then we can reverse engineer it."📢 Memorable Quotes “If you have more than three priorities, you don't have any.” – Joel Perso“Nobody wants to buy a business where the founder is still crucial to daily operations in our success.” – Joel Perso“A lot of people want to be a part of something special. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. But you have to articulate that so that people can come along.” – Joel Perso🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Growth Centric’s WebsiteConnect with Joel on LinkedInFollow Growth Centric on LinkedInFollow Joel on Facebook

Ever feel like you’re flying blind with your business finances? You’re not alone. In this episode, we sit down with Chris Dargin, founder and CEO of Echelor, a groundbreaking startup building an "agentic CFO" powered by AI. Chris shares his incredible journey from the Navy and working in the trades to building a tech solution that provides real-time financial intelligence to the backbone of our economy: blue-collar businesses. This episode is a masterclass in identifying a real-world problem and taking swift, decisive action to solve it with cutting-edge technology. You'll learn how AI can augment, not replace, human capability, and how to build a business deeply rooted in serving a specific, often-overlooked niche.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to transform personal experiences, like seeing a family business struggle, into a powerful, mission-driven startup idea.🤖 The difference between static AI (like ChatGPT) and “agentic” AI that proactively works on your behalf, finding problems and opportunities 24/7.🛠️ Why niching down to a specific audience, like the "physical economy," can be your greatest strategic advantage in a crowded market.🧠 How to move from a reactive business owner to a proactive one by leveraging data and AI to see around corners and anticipate future challenges.💡 The power of rapid prototyping and getting immediate feedback from your ideal customer to validate your idea and build a product people actually need.📈 A founder’s framework for managing a thousand ideas and prioritizing tasks by using a sprint-based approach to maintain focus and drive impact.🤝 Why human-centered design is critical, even when building a complex tech product, to ensure your solution is simple, clean, and valuable to non-tech-savvy users.📝 About Chris DarginChris Dargin is the founder and CEO of Echelor, a Detroit-based startup building the agentic CFO for the physical economy. Drawing from his experience in the Navy, working in the trades, and leading innovation in the corporate world, Chris has a unique ability to connect complex technology with real-world needs. His mission is deeply personal, inspired by watching his mother's small business struggle with finances. Chris is dedicated to closing the financial intelligence gap for everyday business owners, using AI to amplify human capability and empower entrepreneurs in the real economy.🎯 Chris’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"You can't let the fear of just getting started stop you. If you truly believe in what you're building, there's someone out there waiting for your help, and you just have to keep going."📢 Memorable Quotes“The real core strength of AI is augmenting human jobs right now… something has to be in the background kind of having their back, watching out for them and helping them to understand.” – Chris Dargin“A lot of times in a conversation... you're waiting to just talk. You're not actually listening. You're waiting to have a response back... as opposed to actually being present.” – Chris Dargin“I could have a thousand ideas, but it doesn't mean that people necessarily need them or want them. You have to really get close to the people in the field that are doing the work and making sure that you're providing the right features and solutions for them.” – Chris Dargin🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Echelor’s WebsiteConnect with Chris on LinkedInFollow Echelor on LinkedIn

Ever feel like your brand’s incredible story is trapped inside your head? Adam Belmont, the founder of A to B Strategies, is here to show you how to unleash it. After 15 years in the big agency world, Adam took the leap into solopreneurship to help brands of all sizes create “scroll-stopping” campaigns that forge genuine connections with customers. This episode is a masterclass in modern communications, breaking down how to think like a PR pro even if you’re just starting out. You’ll learn why authenticity is your greatest asset, how to create your own newsworthy moments, and why embracing your journey as a founder is the ultimate marketing advantage.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 📢 How to shift from a reactive PR mindset (waiting for a crisis) to a proactive one that consistently builds brand equity. 🧠 The secret to making your brand messaging resonate: focus on what your customers care about, not just what your company cares about. 🚀 How to embrace the “nimbleness” of being a solopreneur and turn it into a powerful competitive advantage. ✨ How to create “ownable brand moments” by leaning into your authentic story and unique differentiators. 📈 A brilliant, simple framework for creating engaging LinkedIn content that builds a loyal following by being a positive force. 🤖 How to use AI to become “bigger, faster, stronger” in your business without sacrificing the essential “human sniff test.” 💪 The mindset shift required to step out from behind your brand and shine the spotlight on yourself as a founder.📝 About Adam Belmont Adam Belmont is the founder of A to B Strategies, a communications consultancy where he merges his big-agency experience with the nimbleness of a solopreneur. After a successful 15-year career at top firms like Ogilvy, Adam bet on himself to launch his own venture. He specializes in helping brands craft scroll-stopping creative campaigns and ownable brand moments that make consumers truly get who they are. Adam's expertise lies in his ability to act as a strategic, senior PR counsel while remaining hands-on, making him a powerful partner for brands ready to make an impact.🎯 Adam’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Commit to yourself in whatever way that speaks to you or the way that you interpret it. And go all in in whatever you believe in and follow the intuition. And with that, you can't go wrong."📢 Memorable Quotes“People care about what they care about. And they don't really care about what brands care about. So the whole point is trying to figure out…how can you translate what the company cares about in a way that the general public consumers at large care about their life?” – Adam Belmont“You gotta be true to who you are as a brand…Nobody else can replicate what you do in the way you do it. That's what makes you unique. And that's what you need to leverage.” – Adam Belmont“AI makes me bigger, faster, stronger, all day, every day… It's always got to pass the human sniff test. And I always give it one to make sure that no matter how I incorporate AI into my workflow, that at the end of the day, the AI-ness doesn't come through. It's got to be human.” – Adam Belmont🔗 Links & ResourcesConnect with Adam on LinkedInFollow A-to-B Strategies on LinkedIn

Rafsan Bhuiyan, Founder and CEO of OrionQ, shares his expertise on leveraging agentic AI for revenue operations. He explains the leap from simple chatbots to AI that takes real actions, enhancing automation in sales and customer service. Rafsan emphasizes how AI streamlines processes and improves ROI, making it essential for modern businesses. He also outlines strategies for onboarding AI responsibly while maintaining trust and the human touch. Lastly, he advises entrepreneurs to prioritize well-being for long-term success.

Ever felt trapped by your own success? Discover the concept of the Finisher’s Trap, where the very skills that made you valuable can stifle your business growth. Brian shares a life-altering experience from a snowy Christmas Eve that pushed him to reevaluate his role. Learn how to shift from being the bottleneck to becoming the architect of your business. This episode reveals the vital transition that separates a self-employed individual from a true CEO, unlocking the door to entrepreneurial freedom.

Robert Yeager, founder of Fusion Data Company, transformed from notorious hacker to innovative entrepreneur. He shares how his prison experiences honed his customer service skills and entrepreneurial instincts. Learn how AI and automation revolutionize small business solutions, emphasizing the importance of understanding client pain points. Robert advocates for incremental learning and leveraging unique life experiences as business assets. His insights on using conversational AI for client interactions and the imperative of adapting to technological advancements are particularly enlightening.

In this insightful conversation, marketing expert Lindsay Kingsley, founder of King William Marketing, shares her journey from psychology to mastering review generation. She discusses why many entrepreneurs struggle to ask for reviews and how to turn it into an enjoyable process. Lindsay introduces the 'Goodwill' strategy of donating meals for reviews and reveals why a 4.7-4.9 star rating appears more trustworthy than a flawless five. Plus, she emphasizes the importance of responding to all reviews and offers tips on reactivating past clients for a review boost.

Join seasoned franchising expert Cliff Nonnenmacher as he shares wisdom from decades of scaling multiple franchise brands. Discover how to finance growth through smart strategies and work ON your business, not IN it. Cliff unveils five recession-proof industries primed for investment and explains why avoiding food franchises might be wise. With insights into industry-agnostic investing and the importance of having an exit strategy from day one, this conversation offers invaluable guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Michael Greenberg, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Third Brain, dives deep into digital operations and AI readiness. He introduces the flywheel effect, highlighting how it enables sustainable growth over brute-force methods. Michael discusses the five levels of digital maturity crucial for business scaling and defines key differences between AI and automation. He emphasizes the importance of mastering foundational systems before integrating advanced technologies, and shares actionable strategies to help entrepreneurs streamline operations and escape the 7-figure grind.

What if AI could translate your pet’s barks and behaviors into early health warnings? In this episode, Brian sits down with Tim Maliyil, a visionary tech founder with over 30 years of experience, to discuss his latest venture, PerkyPet. Tim unpacks the journey of building an advanced AI platform designed to interpret your pet's vocal and physical cues, essentially acting as a 24/7 vet in your pocket. This episode is a masterclass for entrepreneurs on building a complex, high-stakes product from the ground up, navigating the crucial dynamics of a technical and non-technical co-founder partnership, and leveraging AI to enhance human capabilities, not replace them. Get ready to learn how to architect for massive scale from day one and why responsible AI is the future of innovation.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe Co-Founder Power Play: Learn how pairing deep technical expertise with specialized industry knowledge (like medicine) can create an unstoppable product vision.Architecting for a Billion Users: Discover Tim’s strategy for building a tech infrastructure that’s ready for massive scale from day one, without breaking the bank.The "Do No Harm" MVP: Understand why for high-stakes products, prioritizing quality and safety over speed is a non-negotiable for your minimum viable product launch.Leveraging AI for Founder Efficiency: Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Tim uses AI tools like Claude to condense a week's worth of product management work into just three hours.Navigating Critical Inflection Points: Uncover the two key areas—finance and technology—that Tim identifies as the make-or-break inflection points for any startup.The Human-AI Partnership: Hear why the future of AI isn't about replacing humans but enhancing their capabilities, and how to build technology that facilitates trust and escalates to human experts when needed.📝 About Tim Maliyil Tim Maliyil is a seasoned technology founder, builder, and operator with over three decades of experience creating innovative, forward-looking solutions. After successfully growing his previous company, AlertBoot, to over 160 employees and $40 million in revenue, he turned his attention to a new passion. As the co-founder of PerkyPet, Tim is channeling his deep technical expertise into revolutionizing pet care. He brings a unique perspective on how to architect complex systems for massive scale, manage the intricacies of a tech startup, and thoughtfully integrate AI to solve real-world problems.🎯 Tim’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Always be learning, but also check the source of where you're learning from."📢 Memorable Quotes"I always think AI plays here is to enhance human capability." – Tim Maliyil"The expectation of MVP in today's modern age is pretty high to begin with... Perky Pet especially, there's something that's of serious importance that we can do harm if we make a mistake. And the core piece is to do no harm." – Tim Maliyil"In the startup world, it's almost, I would say, week by week or month by month... The risk always grows as you have a user base there." – Tim Maliyil🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit PerkyPet’s WebsiteConnect with Tim on LinkedInFollow PerkyPet, Inc. on LinkedIn